This collection of 200-plus mini games wrapped around a dozen short stories is an awesome demonstration of how innovative the Wii system has proven to be. At its launch, Wii Sports showed the console’s intuitive nature/play through its controllers. Smooth (and the Raving Rabbids series) take it further by having the player balance the remote on his palm like a waiter, put it on end of his nose to manipulate it like an elephant’s trunk or hold it on his hip before whipping it “out” like a holstered gun. The mini games themselves are a workout too because they’re very brief and played in rapid succession, somewhere around 13-16 at a time per story with only a couple seconds between each to catch a breath.
What really sold me on it was Smooth’s sense of humor, this sadly went right over the heads of my two nephews when I wanted to see if they would like it. Some instances are through gross games: clip the toenail, insert the false teeth and pick the nose. Others are goofy: hand out a brochure, smack the back of the inattentive student and shake off the ants on a banana. The absolutely funniest moments are during the pauses for new instructions on how to use the controller for an upcoming mini-game. First, the title appears such as “The Big Cheese” or “The Umbrella,” followed by an illustration of how to hold the controller and text explaining it. Meanwhile, a Jack Handey-esque voice reads the text in that infamous dry, deadpan tone, amplifying the punchline’s effect. Not every one is a gem admittedly, much like Jack Handey’s Deep Thoughts. Finally, there is one string of tasks fans of Nintendo’s rich history will love since it involves the gauntlet of their trademark characters.
Smooth’s only downside is the lack of an initial multiplayer mode. It exists, just not until the story is completed.
Congratulations Nintendo for publishing another game to get non-”serious” players involved and having a great time. I love some of the choices for the PS3 and Xbox but most of their titles require a time commitment equal to at least a part-time job through those ridiculous, counter-intuitive controllers.
Although I only rented this, I did solve it and retained the results on the Wii’s memory card. When I get around to buying it, probably used, I’m all set to roll it out with friends for multi-player sessions.